New North Carolina Certified Environmental Educators Recognized

The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources recently recognized 223 educators who have completed a comprehensive certification program in environmental education. This accomplished group of individuals truly reflects the diversity of educators in the North Carolina Environmental Education Certification Program, as it includes nature center and museum educators, naturalists, teachers, park rangers, academics and many other professionals in the private and public sectors.

The honorees were all smiles!

The program is administered by the Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and is a partnership between DENR, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, Environmental Educators of North Carolina, the N.C. Association of Environmental Education Centers and the Wildlife Resources Commission.

Honorees and guests from around the state attended a Nov. 22 ceremony at Embassy Suites in Cary. The keynote was given by Pat Simmons, 

Pat Simmons, incoming director of
of the N.C. Zoo, gave the keynote
(and it was great). 

former director of the Akron Zoo and the new deputy director and chief operating officer for the N.C. Zoo. She is slated to become the N.C. Zoo director in 2016. 

Simmons thanked the honorees for their dedication and challenged them to continue their innovative collaborations that bring nonformal educators and classroom teachers together to educate children and adults about our state's natural resources. Her sentiments were echoed by Bill Cobey, Chairman of the State Board of Education, and Beverly Vance, Section Chief of K-12 Science for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. Chairman Cobey noted: "The fact that we are honoring both classroom teachers and nonformal educators tonight is proof of the important partnership between the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Public Instruction in promoting environmental literacy in our state." 

Guests and honorees were able to see the premier of this short film that explains the certification program from the first-hand experiences of four certified educators. The film was created by Martin Kane with the Division of Parks and Recreation.
  

( Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/113309710 )

A slide presentation featuring quotes from more than 40 honorees was also shown during the ceremony and can be viewed on the Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs website.

Other special guests at event included DENR Secretary John Skvarla, Wildlife Resources Commission Executive Director Gordon Myers, Division of Parks and Recreation Director Michael Murphy, Environmental Educators of North Carolina President Dr. Brad Daniel and North Carolina Association of Environmental Education Centers President-elect Sarah Kendrick.

The North Carolina Environmental Education program was the first of its kind in the nation and has served as a model for other states following North Carolina’s lead. The North Carolina Environmental Education program establishes standards for professional excellence in environmental education while recognizing educators committed to increasing environmental literacy. Individuals must complete 200 hours of professional development to be certified, which includes 70 hours of instructional workshops, 50 hours of outdoor environmental education experiences, 30 hours of experiences that promote awareness of the state’s environmental education resources and 30 hours of teaching experiences. 

The program also requires an environmental education partnership project that addresses a need in educators’ communities. These projects have had far-reaching impacts on communities throughout the state, providing projects such as interpretive trails, recycling programs, school and community gardens, outdoor classrooms and even small ecological restorations. Examples of these projects can be viewed on the EE Certification blog.

For more information about the program or to enroll, visit www.eenorthcarolina.org

Montreat EE Masters Program One of Four to Recieve First Special NAAEE Accreditation

Congratulations to Montreat College! Montreat's Master's Degree in Environmental Education is one of four institutions to receive the first accreditation from the North American Association for Environmental Education. 

This new NAAEE new initiative is designed to formally
recognize distinguished 

college and university environmental education programs that are developing the kinds of environmental educators that are needed in the field. Graduates of these programs are experiencing curriculum and training that will translate to best practices in EE across a variety of learning contexts.


The other three programs are located at Eastern Kentucky University, Nova Southeastern University, and the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. We applaud their efforts and hope this is the start of expanding high quality EE in higher education. For more information, visit http://www.naaee.net/programs/highered.

Gastonia Students Win President's Environmental Youth Award

Congratulations are in order! Students at Gaston Day School won the PEYA award for EPA Region 4. This is a big honor! Read more about the award. 

Team of 3 Students: Katie Danis, Mary Hunter Russell & Grace Wynkoop

The Pollution Solution team found a major threat to the Catawba River in the form of polluted stormwater. The discovery was the catalyst for Team Pollution Solution, a grassroots effort by the teens to “Save the Catawba River: One yard at a Time”. Informational kits, built by the girls from household items they had on hand, are being used in classrooms to teach students about what causes stormwater pollution and how it can be stopped. The team tested the program with the Gaston Day School fourth-grade students. Kids loved watching how everyday living creates pollution and learning how simple steps, like picking up after your dog or bagging your yard waste, keep the stormwater drains clean and the river healthy. (From the PYEA Award Site) 

Allison Woods Program Using EE to Teach STEM Lessons

Article by Preston Spencer, Statesville Record and Landmark. Reprinted with Permission.

Lake Portal offers STEM-based lessons at Allison Woods

Allison Woods wants to see the students of Iredell County on a boat, surrounded by science. A couple months ago, the Allison Woods Outdoor Learning Center, situated off of Turnersburg Highway, began offering a program called Lake Portal, in which students, Scouts and adult groups can learn about the ecosystem of a pond on the property and take and test water samples while on a boat. 

“This is a little more than just a lab exercise,” said Brain Fannon, education program coordinator at Allison Woods. “Because it’s an open-ended environment, the results are not pre-determined here. Not every group will have a cookie-cutter experience. This is actual research.” 

Lake Portal is a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) based program, with the goal to introduce students to using scientific tools to gather information about the world around them. The program is open to middle and high school groups, and Fannon said he hopes they find students who have never been on a boat or done hands-on experiments. 

“We’re hoping to give students the chance to experience that, and certainly not all are going to go into oceanography or marine biology, but it broadens their experiences,” Fannon said. “It’s not just about teaching science. It’s about providing experiences that you don’t have in the Piedmont, North Carolina.”

Allison Woods is using a 24-foot “research vessel” for the offered excursions. Upon arriving, visiting groups learn about the interface between the land and the water, and then hop aboard. On the boat, Fannon aids in the use of an underwater camera and sonar unit to teach about how water changes with depth. Those on the field trip also take water samples and test for various factors.

“Most people just see lake sand ponds as a flat surface and never really think about what’s going on beneath that surface,” Fannon said. “With the tools on the boat, we open a window to look down.” 

To schedule a Lake Portal trip, call Allison Woods at 704-873-5976. The program is designed for groups of eight to 20 people. Cost is $15 per person. Community and private groups are welcome, and two weeks to a month’s notice is needed. The whole program takes about an hour-and-a-half for a group of 10, and twice that for a group of 20. 

Fannon, a former marine biologist who worked on commercial fishing boats in Alaska, said Lake Portal is “not intended to be just another field trip,” but rather a chance to see research “as it is done professionally.” “It’s not just asking the question,” Fannon said. “(It’s) how do we answer it? How do we look at our environment and get information?”